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RECOLLECTIONS 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 

OK TJIE 

€)bertl)rotD of tl^e Cea, 

AT GRIFFIN'S WHARF, IN BOSTON HARBOR, 
December 16, 1773, 

IN HONOR OF SAMUEL HOWARD, 

one of thk aotohs, 

3, Mass., December, 1873. 



»Qr^*'^»««uti 




CAMBRIIJ^: 

PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND SON. 
1874. 



RECOLLECTIONS 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 

OF THE 

£Dtiertl)roia) of tlje Cea^, 

AT GRIFFIN'S WHARF, IN BOSTON HARBOR, 
December 16, ,1773, 

IN HONOR OF SAMUEL HOWARD, 

ONE OF THE ACTOK3, 



'*>!9WU,Cambeidge, Mass., December, 1873. 







CAMBRID&E 



PRESS OF JOHN WILSON AND 
1874. 



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LtriJAr 'J^ im e^L yt.^ BUY e-Ci- 



00 <ecOT_ ' 



TO THOSE 

WHO DESIRE TO KEEP IN REMEMBRANCE A GATHERING, 
KEMAEKARLE NOT ONLY AS BELONGING TO AN EVENT 
OF GREAT HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, BUT AS A MEMO- 
RIAL OF AN EVENING ATTENDED WITH RARE AND 
PECULIAR FAMILY ASSOCIATIONS, BY 

CAROLINE HOWARD GIUVIAISf. 



INTRODUCTION. 



My father, Samuel Howard, of Boston, Mass., 
was unknown to fame, until his name appeared on 
the roll of history, with those who overthrew the 
tea in Boston Harbor, Dec. 10, 1773. 

There has always been a tradition in our family 
of his participation in the act; and one of the ac- 
counts is, that some tea remaining in his boots was 
scattered on the hearth, that one of the family tried 
to gather it up, when another ran for a broom and 
swept it into the fire. 

My father died when I was two years old, in the 
" Mansion House " as it was called, where the Mar- 
iners' Church now stands, in the North Square, in 
Boston. Not long after his death, my mother re- 
moved to the country, to educate her younger chil- 
dren. At eight years of age I was placed with my 
sister, Anna Maria, afterwards Mrs. White, at an 
academy in the north parish of Andover. There my 
mother died, and was buried. 



6 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

I am not aware that I ever licanl, in cliildhood, 
the well-kept secret of the tea, and when reading 
the history of the Revolution I classed tliis only 
with other patriotic acts. 

A residence of sixty years at the South, far re- 
moved from the branch of my family to whom the 
traditions were familiar, absorbed in duties of heart 
an<l hand in the beloved home of my adoption in 
Charleston, S.C, I was debarred, of course, from 
further information ; nor could I realize my father's 
identity with this event, until I left Charleston, S.C, 
for Cambridge, Mass., a short time previous to the 
centennial celebrations, when the public pulse was 
beating on the subject. Then, for the first time, I 
read in Lossing's " History of the Revolution " the 
name of S. Howard on the roll of actors in this 
drama, and was informed that a lady in Worcester, 
Mass., had registered his with the others on a mon- 
ument in her own private grounds. 

I also learned from connections, now living at an 
advanced age, anecdotes too Mell authenticated to 
cause a doubt of his participation in the act. 

Therefore, Avhen I felt that my own father was 
one of those daring men, my pulse was stirred in 
my old age, and I was glad to do honor to one wlio 
had scarcely held me in his arms before he died. 

It is said that those men were bound by oath not 
to reveal their identity, but their families were not ; 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBEATION. 7 

and, after the danger of recognition was passed, it 
was but natural pride in them to reveal every inci- 
dent connected with the proceedings. 

I have accounted for my ignorance of my family 
relations by the early death of my parents and my 
removal to the South. I only know that I was born 
in the dwelling on the spot where the Mariners' 
Church now stands, and was christened by Dr. La- 
throp, whose residence was in the North Square. The 
Lathrop family, the Mays, and Reveres are among 
my earliest recollections, as being the friends of my 
sister Harriet, afterwards Mrs. Fay, Avith whom an 
intimacy was kept up until her death. 

I recollect seeing a lai'ge China punch-bowl when 
I was about nine years old. Surrounding the entire 
outside was an illustrated poem of "Auld Robin 
Gray." I could not read the dialect, but the pictures 
excited my admiration. 

On the inside was the shipwrights' coat-of-arms, 
and an inscription in large lettei's, "Presented to 
Samuel Howard. " 

I do not remember the dates or names. Some 
years after, I learned that it was broken and no 
pieces preserved. How we should treasure them 
now! 

Most of these North End land-holders were gen- 
tlemen, although, as I understand, working-men. 
History records that those who overthrew the tea 



TEITATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

"were familiar witli the wharves and sliipjiini^. How- 
ard, the sliipwright, and Kevere, liis neighbor, an 
engraver and copper-founder, would naturally be in 
this class. 

As this private document may be the only medium 
of referring to these family topics, I copy a portion 
of a letter from a valued relative on the subject: — 

"I thought you might like some information in 
regard to your father's real estate, which Grand- 
mamma Howard has often related. I distinctly re- 
member myself the Mansion House, which stood on 
the spot now occupied by the Marinere' Church, at the 
corner of North Square and Sun Court Street. The 
second house was on the opposite corner of Sun Court 
and Moon Streets. These streets retain their names. 
There was also a very large brick house on Sun 
Court Street, adjoining the large house in front, 
which I have always supposed your father owned. 
Mr. Paul lievere, the eldest son of Colonel Paul 
llevere of Revolutionary memory, occupied it for 
many years. Before your father's death, he bought a 
house on the opposite side of the North Square, and 
had it conveyed to your mother by deed. It was a 
very old-fashioned house, with the second story jut- 
ting over the lower. The Avindow-panes Avere very 
small, — I should think not more than two inches wide 
and three in length : they were set in lead, and the 
frames were of iron, opening like doors. After your 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 9 

father's death, your mother removed there and im- 
proved it. There was a large garden reaching 
nearly to Hanover Street. Your mother had almost 
a passion for flowers, and was quite noted for her 
taste in laying out her grounds. 

" This house she left by will to Anna Maria and 
yourself, subject to an annuity of fifty dollars a year 
to her mothei'. She left her wardrobe and furniture 
to your sister Harriet. Her eldest children had 
every advantage of education that Boston could give 
at that period. The North Square at the time of 
which I Avrite was a very select neighborhood." 
And some persons add, "fashionable." 

I may add to this pleasant sketch that Dr. Fratik- 
lin was intimate in my grandmother HoAvard's 
family, and one of them was named Benjamin 
Franklin. Dr. Franklin's favorite arm-chair in her 
parlor was called the "Franklin chair." It has 
descended in the family to Mrs. Estes Howe, of Cam- 
bridge, Mass., and is still called " Franklin's chaii'." 

And now I Avill devote a few words to my moth- 
er's connections, the Lillie family. I learn from 
history that my great-uncle, Theophilus Lillie, 
a rich Boston merchant, was a Royalist, and was 
mobbed in 1770, and left Boston for Halifax with 
the Tories. My cousin Mrs. Woodward, of Pal- 
myra, N.Y., the daughter of Major John Lillie, 
now in her eightieth year, writes thus : — 
2 



10 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

" I have been told in my youth that Thcophihis 
Lillie was the first ]»erson who kept his oarringo in 
Boston; tliat he walkc'<| the streets, aeconlinjx to the 
custom <»f menliants in his time, with gold lace on 
his coat, a wig and cocked hat, ruffles on his bosom 
and over his hands, and a gold-headed cane. lie left 
for Halifax with Dr. Church and the Tories. lie 
died in a few years, and left a legacy to the Rev. 
Dr. Belknap. I have a paper referring to it, and 
signed by his widow, Anna Lillie. He was burned 
in effigy with his scju'let coat, ruffles, &c." 

" I have no regard for heraldry," she continues, 

" ' or blood 
Tliat tTc'i)t througii scoundrels ever since the flood ; ' 

but, as a matter of curiosity, I should like to see 
the Lillie coat-of-arms. I distinctly remember my 
father's, which was brought over by his ancestors. 
It was three lilies colored. It was removed with my 
mother's effi-cts to my grandinuther's, when she went 
to West Point where my father was stationed, and 
hung in the room with her furniture. I saw it 
every day until we removed to Mr. Bakei's, in 
1803.' My mother often said we had no relations by 

1 It is a singular coincidpncc that having, acconiing to Mr". Wood- 
ward's wishrs, caused a book of heraldry to be examined, the fol- 
lowing were found: LiLi.n: (Kugland). Three lilies countercharged. 
Crest, a red rose between the antlers of a stag. I.ili.ik (Scotl:uid). 
Three lilies. Crest, a dexter hand issuing out of ii cloud, grasping a 
club. (Scotland), a crescent between three lilies. 



PHIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 11 

the name of Lillie. My father was an only son, 
and his father an only son. I have the impression 
that our grandfather Lillie was lost at sea." 

Next, in opposite colors to Uncle Theophilus in 
his red coat, in effigy, we see Major John Lillie, my 
mother's bx'other, an officer in the Revolutionary Avar 
of 1776, aid to General Knox, and Military Com- 
mander at West Point, 1801, where he died, and 
where a monument has within a few years been 
raised by his grandsons, Daniel C. Lillie and John 
Lillie. 

My mother was Anna Lillie, my grandmother was 
Abigail Breclc, Avhom I know chiefly by two sam- 
plers, hers and mine. Hers is framed and preserved 
as a family relic by Mrs. George W. Richardson, of 
Worcester, Mass. : mine is treasured in Charleston, 
S.C., by my eldest daughter. They are interesting 
as sj^ecimens of the past. My grandmother's closes 
thus : — 

"Unveil, Almighty God, thy face, 

Thv features let me see. • jj^ 



At once I rush to thy embrace, ?" Sr^i t^ t'^ 

I spring at once to thee." fy 



"Abigail Breck is my name. 
And with my needle I wro't the same; 
But if my skill it had been better, 
I should have mended every letter. 

A. B. finished her Sampler in the 
thirteenth year of her age, 1744." 






ii 



12 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Then time makes a great stride. Young Miss 
Abigail Breck becomes gi-andmanima Lillie; and, 
after various vicissitudes, is seated in a parlor, near 
Sweet Auburn, now Mount Auburn, Cambridge, 
Mass., teaching a little girl, the present octogenarian 
writer, the marking stitch, and directing her small 
hand on the sampler thus : — 

While var3'ing shnde the pleasiiip task beguiles, 
My fricuds approve mc, and my parent smiles. 

Caroline Howard, aged 8 years. 
Anno Dumini 1803. 

So farewell to samplers, vanishing fliraily land- 
marks, the developers of juvenile thought, the pride 
of our old-time matrons ! Their cycle has rounded, 
and passed on to give jtlace to higher things. 

My pleasant, j»erchance my last, work has drawn 
to its close ; but, before laying aside my pen, I gladly 
express my thanks to our friend, Mrs. Nathaniel 
SiLSKEE, whose exquisite poems and graphic descrip- 
tion of our family jubilee have lent its highest charm 
to this little tribute. 

And now, in my old age, like a weary child who 
craves parental caresses, I turn to meet my unknown 
parents, and hear tliem, in her touching words, 
call me, "Dear daughter of my heart." 

c. H. G. 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 13 



LETTER TO A FRIEND. 



Boston, 237 Beacon Street, 
January 24, 1874. 
Mr DEAR Mart. 

You, with a heart and soul full of the real senti- 
ment which helps so largely to make life lovely, will, 
I am sure, read with an interest due more to honored 
memories than to any words of mine this necessarily 
imperfect account of a Tea Party given by two of the 
grandchildren of Samuel Howard, one of the breakers 
of tea-chests in 1773. 

What would these men, who did not let their left 
hands know what their strong right hands were 
doing, have thought of posterity, if a prophetic whis- 
per had sounded in the ear a suggestion of this far- 
oflf flxme? They returned to their homes, when the 
work was finished, folded up their blankets, washed 
their laces, and kept their secrets well. And now, 
just a hundred years after that brewing in the waters 
of Boston Harbor, the descendants of those strange 
hosts have assembled in haj)py homes, or thronged 
in public halls, to drink to them in Oolong, Bohea, 



14 PKIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Souchong, every possible variety, including even 
English Breakfast Tea. 

I looked on myself as a fortunate woman, that 
bright day of December, and was more than com- 
monly thankful to be the grand-niece of Timothy 
Pickering and of Elbridge Gerry, as the first rela- 
tionship was the cause of my being invited by Mr.-^. 
Lijtpitt and Mrs. IJowen to meet the Howard family, 
and join in the ovation to their ancestor. 

It was a beaulifiil winter evening, and in company 
with my youngest son, William, I drove out to Cam- 
bridge, and to the house iu Oxford Street, which was 
the residence of the ladies who presided over the 
festivities. 

On entering the house, the low ceiling of which 
conformed to old-fashioned ideas, we saw garlands 
and Hags in every direction, and over the doors, 
alternately, in evergreen numbers, — 

1773 AND 1873. 

An hour previous to the meeting Mrs. Augustus 
Hemenway had sent, with her card, an immense bas- 
ket of hothouse flowers, mostly composed of roses 
in the rarest stage of ojjeniug bloom. It took six 
persons, with diligent but charming labor, to distrib- 
ute and arrange this floral wonder, before the arrival 
of the guests. 

The central point of attraction was the octogena- 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 15 

riau daughter of Howard, the widow of Samuel 
Gihnan, D.D., so long the beloved pastor of the 
Unitarian Church in Charleston, S.C. ; indeed, Mrs. 
Caroline Howard Gihnan must have enjoyed the 
fulness of content, surrounded by her daughters and 
their children, nieces and grand-nieces, nephews and 
grand-nephews, and, best of all, by sweet and tender 
recollections. 

We were among tlie earliest guests ; for I respect 
the quality of old-fashioned punctuality. Being in 
such good season, I could watch the comers, and try 
to guess, by the expression of their faces, their degree 
of interest in the expected entertainment, saying to 
myself, " This one must be a relation, or that one is 
an outsider, lucky to be brought inside, on so charm- 
ing an occasion." I do not know the names of half 
the company. This family, however, began by being- 
Howards, with the exception of those who entered 
by the open door of marriage. We had, beside these, 
" the benefit of the clergy," and a good representation 
of the Revere connections. 

We Avere received by our hostesses in the back par- 
lor, and passed a pleasant half hour in cordial greetings 
and social conversation. One lady, Mrs. Pomeroy, a 
great-grand-daughter of Samuel Howard, had left her 
residence in Rochester, N.Y., the previous day, slept 
in the cars, travelled all night, and now walked in, 
looking as fresh and bright as though she had just 



IG nilVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Stepped across the street. Particularly did I notice 
the meeting of a lady and gentleman who had not 
seen one another for over forty years. The suppressed 
astonishment of the gray-haired clergyman, as an 
elderly person, with O. W. Holmes's '* wreath of white 
roses" around her brow, announced herself as the 
whilom slender girl, was very amusing, and the ear- 
nest talk into which they fell about the good old 
times was somewhat touching, as well as extremely 
interesting. 

Presently I descried one of our summer neighbors 
of Milton,^ who exclaimed on seeing me, ** How came 
you here?" which I meekly explained, and then 
retorted l^y asking him to explain his appearance, 
to which he replied by taking me to the portrait of 
M:ijor John Lillie, an ofiicer in the Revolution, who 
was his and Mrs. Oilman's ancestor on the maternal 
side. 

Samuel Howard's daughter, attired in simple black, 
with a close matronly cap, sat in the quiet dignity of 
old age, receiving greetings and proffering welcomes, 
and played her part all through the evening with 
courteous graciousness. 

Several ladies and gentlemen wore dresses of 

various antiquity. One young lady a)»peare<l in her 

grandmother's brocade, and stood in the shoes of 

Martha Washington. Another had attached to her 

1 Edward Lillie Pierce, Esq. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAl, CELEBRATION. 17 

bracelet a perfect Chinese miniature tea-cliest. A 
family group was attired in the style of the early 
years of the century, and one of them, Mrs. Moulton, 
— a great-grand-daughter of Samuel Howard, — had 
upon her wrist a bracelet, the gift of the beautiful 
Empress Eugenie. One young lady bore on her head 
the stiffly bowed and wired structure worn by her 
mother about forty years ago, with her well-preserved 
frisette of puffed hair beneath. The tight sleeves and 
lace kerchief completed the costume, which, obsolete 
in fashion, Avas suited to the occasion, being quaint 
and effective. I remember once Avearing just such a 
head-dress. 

A few young men wore the continental coat, waist- 
coat, and breeches, with powdered wigs and buckled 
shoes. 

One nephcAV sported a handsome court suit of 
black, with gold embroidery ; a young Indian stalked 
around gravely in paint, blanket, and feather; and 
many dear little children, sweet and simple, added a 
charm to the scene, while tAvo, as Marquis and Mar- 
quise de La Fayette, were sweet and simple still, 
despite their courtly dresses. The young daughters 
of the house were, in a measure, antiquated in cos- 
tume, and aided the elders in their manifold pleasant 
tasks. Some Avere there, Avhose presence Avas cordially 
recognized, Avho came from their seclusion with tearful 
memories to lend a kindly sympathy to a scene so 
3 



18 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

rare and unique, and wliilc their garb indicated sor- 
row were willing to witness smiles. 

And now let us begin at the beginning of the 
evening's entertainment, and you must try to feel as 
much at home as they made me feel. 

Soon after eight o'clock we went into the front 
parlor, where Mrs. Oilman was led to her seat, with 
a circle of friends and descendants, — sage sixty, 
"sweet sixteen," and little children. 

Among them was a group presenting a somewhat 
peculiar interest in this scattering M'orld, — five mar- 
ried daughters of Anna Maria Howard (Mrs. White), 
a deceased sister of Mrs. Gilman. Seated at one 
])criod of the evening together, an observer was 
struck with their ripe individuality, each with their 
children near them, exhibiting a fair specimen of 
New England matrons. 

The arrangements for the exercises to follow were 
admirable. The piano-forte Avas placed in a recess, 
with the keys towards a bow-window, where Caroline 
Munro Lippitt, General Lippitt's daughter, presided. 
A heavy curtain drapery, looped in the centre with 
a tlag and evergreen garlands, fell to the fioor on 
each side. A semi-circle of seats, from the piano, 
neai4y reached the oi>i)Ositc side of the room, where, 
at the central point, as a Lancashire poet says, was 

" The mother's cheer with a cushion on 't, 
The nicest cheer i' the nook." 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBKATION. 19 

111 the centre of the semi-circle, space was left to 
accommodate all the young children, who made a 
lovely group on the floor, with a boy — J. Robbins 
Howe, a great-grandson of Samuel Howard — sitting 
in full costume, as an Indian, on a tea-chest, and 
serving as a pretty contrast to Howard Moulton and 
his little sister, great-gi-eat-graudchildren to the Rebel, 
habited as the Marquis and Marquise de La Fayette. 
The other guests, making in all about eighty persons, 
were standing or sitting outside the semi-circle, also 
forming involuntary picturesque tableaux. 

The audience, lulled into the hush of expectation, 
were first attracted to listen to young Pickeiing 
Dodge, a great-grandson of Samuel Howard, and a 
great-grand-nephew of Timothy Pickering, who read 
a cordial burlesque 

GREETING, 

Written by his mother. His clear and pleasant 
emphasis was rewarded by sympathetic smiles. 

Then followed, in a tone conforming to the gravity 
of the subject, the reading by Mr. U. Tracy Howe 
of " Paul Revere's Ride," by Longfellow. 

After a short pause, Miss Nina Glover, great- 
grand-daughter of Samuel Howard, took her position, 
standing in front of the piano, where was placed an 
ivy jDlaut in luxurious growth, relieving her some- 
what antiquated although becoming costume and 



20 PRIVATE CENTENXIAL CELEBRATION. 

powdered hair, and read, with excellent appreciation 
and semi-dramatic effect, her grandmother's 

BALLAD. 

At the close of the reading, two young men of the 
family distributed a copy to every one present, the 
little children, as usual, claiming their share. When 
the comj)any were sui)j>licd, and stillness restored. 
Miss Lillian Bowen, also a great-grand-daughter of 
Samuel Howard, in a Dolly Varden dress, suiting 
well her sunny smile, sang each alternate verse of 
the ballad alone, refining our homely national air by 
her sweet and cultivated voice. 

The chorus after each stanza, being sung by the 
whole comj^any, was inspiriting, A demand for a 
repetition of the last verse being made, the following 
stanza was sung, all standing, in allusion to Howard 
and Revere : — 

"And when stern Duly sounds her call, 
With strength like their.*, may we, sir, 
However coMhj be the act, 
Throw overboard our Tea, sir." 

Tlicn three Harvard cheers were given the author, 
who rose to receive a congratulatory shake of the 
hand from many gentlemen. 
Next came an answering 

GREETING FROM GRAXDFAXnER HOWARD, 

From the Spirit Land, which was so exquisitely given 
by General Lijipitt, that I am constrained to think 



I 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 21 

there was some confusion of ideas between the beauty 
of the reading and the actual merit of the piece,^ 

What was to come next ? Just the prettiest thing 
imaginable. The little French couple attired as the 
Marquis and Marquise de La Fayette, known in their 
work-a-day world attire as son and daughter of Mrs. 
Charles Moulton, were lifted up, having a pretty look 
of alarm, on the piano, in lieu of a rostrum, where they 
entered into a spirited burlesque dialogue in French, 
about an invitation to America received from the 
Mildames Lippitt and Bowen (irrespective of ana- 
chronisms). He wanted to come, she did not, but the 
Marquis carried his point by the prettiest coaxings, 
and his faithful partner agreed to accompany him. 
I suppose she thought that the great country, so far 
from la belle France, might at least be more endur- 
able than the dungeon in which she had lived those 
years of devotion. 

They were lifted down from the jjiano carefully, 
amid great applause, when the little girl, springing 
to her mother's arms, made another unstudied pict- 
ure. Then, regardless of their noble selves and their 
rich costume, they reseated themselves on the floor 
near their old grand-aunt, and waited the appearance 
of an aged man, representing Theophilus Lillie, an 
ancestor of Mrs. Gilman on the maternal side, a 

1 Bv Mrs. M. C. D. Silsbee. 



22 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Loyalist, who was mobbed in 1770 for importing tea. 
He was clothed in the dress of the 18th century, 
with comfortable stockings rolled over his poor old 
knees; and he sang, with an accuracy and energy 
surprising for his years. — 

" When George the TliirJ was King." 

Miss Lii)j)itt played the accompaniment, and some- 
how we could not rid ourselves of a strong impres- 
sion of father and daughter ; but it was an evening 
of sweet bewilderments, and I suppose this was one 
of them. 

The chaiTOing Mrs. Moulton, great-grand-daughter 
of Samuel Howard, contributed an ample share to 
our j)leasure. She sang Longfellow's " Beware," and 
" Marjorie's Almanac," with its pretty words by 
Aldrich, in response to and followed by rounds of 
applause. One docs not expect to hear such singing 
more than once in a hundred years. 

Mr. Samuel Longfellow then modestly came for- 
ward, and told us how he drove out from Boston in 
the horse-cars with an old gentleman who seemed 
to be in the agonies of composition; how he chanced 
to leave the cars at the same time Avith him, and how 
he picked up a crum])led ])iece of paper, which he 
smoothed out and copied, and would read if he could 
venture on a proceeding which might seem somewhat 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 23 

" shaky." So we had the poem, and a delightful iioem 
it was, and I hope the two gentlemen will often travel 
together. 

And now Mrs. Bowen, giving a \igorous thump 
on the lid of the piano, which was heard above the 
confusion of tongues, announced by her hei-ald, Mr. 
Story Greenough, a great-grandson of Samuel How- 
ard, that the company were requested to go into the 
dining-room, make the circuit of the table, and then 
return to their places, when the gentlemen would 
wait upon the ladies with refreshments. 

Miss Maria D. Fay, one of the Howard grand- 
daughters, played a march, and, obeying orders with 
strict military precision, we kept ste]) to the music 
with light heart and as light foot. 

The supper-room was profusely garlanded with 
evergreens and bunting, and 1773 and 1873 placed 
in conspicuous positions. The table proved a his- 
toric study. It was divided in the centre by a j)et 
vessel of the family, called " The Undine " by chil- 
dren in Southern waters, but now representing 

The " Dartmouth," at Griffin's Wharf. 

It Avas rigged for the occasion by Wilmot de S. 
Porcher, a lad from Charleston, S.C., and great-grand- 
son of Samuel Howard. 

British colors were flying from the mast-head. 



9l 



24 PRFV^ATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

The deck was covered by miniature tea-chests, and 
the forbidden luxury, real tea, scattered among them. 
A crowd of bhmketed and feathered little rag In- 
dians, which employed the ingenuity of the younger 
members of the household, were in the act of pitch- 
ing over the tea. Conspicuous among them was 
Samuel Howard, of course the tallest, with the big- 
gest feather. Little Indians were climbing the rig- 
ging on the lookout, and some Avcre leaning over thi 
shi])'s sides. 

At the close of the evening these minikin rebels 
were begged and canied away as trophies. Sus- 
pended from the gas-light, on the rebel side of the 
table, was a large card with 

1773. No Tea. 

This half was devoted to Revolutionary condi- 
ments suited to rough Yankee palates : a prodigious 
column of brown bread ; a huge pumj)kin pie, a foot 
and a half long and one foot wide ; an immense dish 
of baked beans ; a piled-up platter of apple pan- 
dowdy ; a tremendous cheese borrowed from a gro- 
cer, who was complimented by the honor ; short cakes 
and johnny-cakes in abundance; and a pyramid of 
somewhat solid doughnuts, speedily devoured by even 
this f istidious company, not one being left to tell 
the story. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 25 

Over the 1873 half of the table was suspended an 
artistically illustrated device in India ink, a steaming 
tca-cnp, and in large letters, — 

Welcome to our Tea Party. 

This drawing, and a spirited sketch, in allusion to 
Mrs. Gilinan's playful thought in her ballad, — 

" Our coat-of-arnis should be a Box, 
And Howard spilling tea," — 

were made by Mr. Araoi-y Austin, a great-grandson 
of Elbridge Gerry, and presented to her by him at 
the close of the singing. 

The "Dartmouth," instead of Griffin's "Wharf, was 
surrounded by teapots of every attainable descrip- 
tion, — silver, china, pewter, pottery, and dolls' ware. 
To make the circle mox*e perfect, Mrs. John Phillips, 
of Dorchester, Mass., a grand-niece of Samuel How- 
ard, brought, as a gift, one of the old family china, 
which was much admired. 

On the 1873 table were tea and refreshments 
suited to more dainty tastes than those of a century 
ago. I cannot say, however, that they were more 
popular. 

After expending our admiration over this little 
array of edibles, we returned by degrees to the j^ar- 
lor, to be waited on by the gentlemen and ladies of 
the house, as promised. 

4 



26 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

After this followed an ingenious charade, the word 
being treason^ planned by Mr. Archie Howe and Mr. 
Murray Howe, connections ot the Revere family. 

Then a spirited Virginia reel commenced, showing 
off to advantage the various costumes ; and at eleven 
o'clock the guests departed, perhaps few of them 
destined to meet again this side the " golden gates " 
of heaven, but all feeling happier and better for 
this genial evening passed in commemoration of 
Samuel Howard, and in pleasant tribute to his 
daughter, Caroline Howard Gilman. 

Had I been "one of them," instead of one among 
them, I could have told you more ; but, although I 
took no notes, I remember nuuli that occurred, each 
scene passing like a distinct j)anorama. And now I 
close my story, which you will read to your children, 
they may read to theirs, and so on, until 1973 is 
reached, when another Tea Party must be sketched 
by some loving hand, to be read by loving eyes. 

Aflectionally your friend, 

M. C. D. SiLSBEE. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 27 



[The followinii; burlesque jexi cVesprit, not written for posterity, 
but to prevent a too sentimental formality in a circle many of whom, 
although relatives, were strangers, -was read bj' Pickering Dodge, a 
great-grandson of Samuel Howard, and a great-grand-nephew of Tim- 
othy Pickering.] 

1773. 

GREETING. 

BY ELIZA W. LIPPITT. 

1873. 

Friends, countrymen, women folk. 

Relations, cousins, kin, — 

And all who bear the noble blood, 

And noble Howard skin,^ — 

You're welcome here, to celebrate 

The spilling of the tea, 

Which caused that patriotic fuss 

In 1773. 

Our ancestor who spilled his share 
In Massachusetts Bay, 
For him we meet, all here we greet 
In family array. 

1 " her skin 

White as the foam from which in happy hour 
Sprang the Thessalian Venus." 

Taylob, Philij} Van Artevelde. 

" O'er her fair face a rosy bloom is shed, 
And stains her ivory skin with lovely red." 

Tasso, Jei'usalem Delivered. 

" Here lay Duncan, 

His silver skin lac'd with his golden blood." 

3facheth. 



28 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

He's here to-night as sure as fote, 

If any truth there be 

In spirit tips and spirit ?c-raps, 

All Ijundled up in tea. 

He greets you each with earnest heart, 

And full of grit is he 

As -when, full robed as Indian Chief, 

He tJinibled out the tea. 

George Washingiow and Ben Frank/m 

Their fame had ne'er been told, 

If Sam Howard had not jjitched in 

And been so very Ixdd. 

ffe never Avould have told a lie 

Connected Mith a hatchet, 

Nor flied his kite on Sabbath day. 

With no one near to watch it. 

He no defaulter would have been, 

Nor run away with Vs, 

Nor money ])anics caused, nor sold 

Adulterated teas. 



Fond greetings to the youngest kin ! 

They'll learn how grandsire Howard 

"Was full of p.atriotic jduck. 

And never proved a coward. 

And greetings, too, we'll give to her 

Whose octogenarian head 

Graces to-night our happy throng ; 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBEATION. 29 

Through her we here are led, 

To her we look with reverent pride ; 

For only she is here 

Who saw that generation j^ast 

Of HoAvard and Revere. 

So welcome to our cousins all, 

The old, the young, the little. 

The middle-aged, the stranger, friend, 

To our YanA-ee Tea Kettle. 

May never clan be more agreed, 

Our march be ever forward ; 

We'll spill our tea, and blood, if need, 

We children of Sam Howard ! 



30 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 



1773. 
BALLAD 

For a private centennial celebration In remembrance of Samcel 

Howard, one of the Boston Rebel Tea Party in 1773. 

Composed by liis octogenarian daughter 

Cabolixe Howard Gilmax. 

1873. 

TrxE, — " Yankee Doodle." 

SOLO. 

King George he sat upon bis throne, 

Ul>on liis throne sat lie, 
And little wist how rebels made, 

On " t'other side,'' ^ their tea. 

CHORUS. 
The Rebel's tea, the Patriot's tea, 

Far on the wintry sea, sir ; 
The King wist not how strong it was, 

That Trans-Atlantic tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

"We've had enouirh of Kings, they said, 

More tax we will not dree,^ 
We crushed the Stamp Act from its birth, 

We, " Sons of Libertie." « 

1 The other side, an expression used by Englishmen lor crossing 
the Atlantic. 

2 Dree, old English for endure. 
8 Name of the Partj'. 



PEIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 31 

CHORUS. 
The Rebel tea, the Nation's tea, 

From high to low degree, sir. 
Without a broad-sword or a gun, 

They swore to spill the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

The Old South gave a war-whoop yell 

Wlien Quincy urged his plea,^ 
'Twas answered by the outside throng, 

And startled hill and lea. 

CHORUS. 

And thus was sealed a Nation's thought^ 
Heard 'neath the sacred Tree,"-^ sir ; 

Endorsed along the Atlantic Coast, 
No " tribute " ^ from the free, sir. 

SOLO. 

Woman had risen in her might, 

For certain " rights " had she. 
Three himdred toomen, with one will. 

Vowed not to taste the tea. 

CHORUS. 

And merry girls, tradition says. 
Issued the stern decree, sir, 

1 As young Quincj- closed his harangue in the Old South, a war- 
whoop was raised and answered from the crowd outside. 

2 An elm called "Liberty Tree," corner of the present Washing- 
ton and Essex Streets, near Boylston Market, as early as 1765. 

3 Charles Cotesworth Pinckuey, " Millions for defence, not a cent 
for tribute," in 1796. 



32 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

No Boston man should liave a kiss 
Unless — be spilled the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

Fort Jlill awoke the stifled cry, 

" No duty on the tea," 
And GriffitCs ^Yharf^ looked grimly on, 

In seventeen seventy-three. 

CHORUS. 

What British seamen thought of this, 

I was not there to see, sir; 
Perchance they gave a shrug, and said, 

" 'Tis but a Yankee spree, sir." 

SOLO. 

North End turned out her sons for right, 

Some boys, but men to be, 
"When future years should tell the t.ale 

Of how they spilled the tea. 

CHORUS. 

The Rebel's tea, their Country's tea, 
Three hunfJrol chests of tea,- sir; 

A century now tells the tale 

Of those who spilled the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

No kettle sang upon their hearth. 
That night, in household glee : 

1 Where the " Dartmouth " was moored, with two other vessels. 
- Three hundred and forty. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 33 

The harbor was the kettle then, 
Salt water made the tea. 

CHORUS. 

At morn Great Britain's world-wide flag 

At mast-head floated free, sir. 
Beneath it gathered sixty men 

That nighti who spilled the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

Not theirs to don their velvet gear 

And silken hosierie : 
Old blankets wrapt the supjDle limbs 

Of those Avho spilled the tea. 

CHORUS. 

And where their Indian feathers waved 

In their wild rivalrie, sir, 
Friend knew not friend, whose blackened face 

Bent o'er his chest of tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

They stood ujjon the Dartmouth's deck, 

All heroes, — none to flee. 
For " each was Captain for himself," ^ 

Of those who spilled the tea. 

CHORUS. 

The Rebel's tea, old Ocean's tea, 
No blood-stain marked the sea, sir, 

1 One of the company was asked, " Who commands? " " Each 
man is Captain for himself," was the reply. 
5 



34 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

When harmless fell each empty box, 
By those who spilled the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

'Twas done; and then with drum and fife, 

A merrie companie, 
They marched in pride throucrh Boston streets, 

"The Boys" who spilled the tea. 

CHORUS. 

The Rebel's tea, the scattered tea, 

A motley band to see, sir, 
Were those who sought their quiet homes 

The night they spilled the tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

Some boast aristocratic birth, 

And ancient Ileraldrie : 
We go a little higher still 

To those who spilled the tea. 

CHORUS. 

The Rebel's tea, the Patriot's tea, 

Yes, higher boast have we, sir : 
Our coat-of-arms should be a J^ox, 

And Uoicard sjnlling tea, sir. 

SOLO. 

Then let us pledge in Temperance cups. 

Choice Hyson or Bohca, 
To Samuel Howard, Paul Revere, 

And all who spilled the tea. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 35 



CHORUS. 

And when stern Duty sounds her call, 
With strength like theirs, may we, sir, 

However costly be the act, 

Throw overboard our Tea^ sir.^ 

1 The last verse was repeated, all standing. 



36 PRIV'ATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 



[The following burlesque Dialogue (wliiih defies anachronisms) whs 
written bv Mrs. Annie M. Bowen, j^ruud-dautchterof Samuel Howard, 
nnd translated mto French by General Lip]iitt, for Howard and Nina 
Moulton, great-great-Krandihildren of Samuel Howard, to be recited 
at the Centennial Celebration. The children were costumed as the 
Marquis and Marquise de la Fayette, and stood upon the piano-forte 
in place of a rostrum] 

DIALOGUE 

between the Marqitis and the Marchioness de la 
Fayette, in January, 1774. 

Madame. Oh, Marquis! ns-tu entcndu la nou- 
vcUe qui arrive de ce nouvcau pays qu'on nomme 
TAmerique ? C'est mechant ! C'est une honte ! 
{trepignant du pied.) 

Monsieur. Ticns, raon araie, je te conseille de te 
taire. Que sais-tu des pays strangers, ou de la poli- 
tique? Sois une sage petite fille, et occupe-toi de 
ton menage et de tes coutures. 

Mme. Eh bien I voilji justoinent de quoi je voulais 
te parler, et tu te mets dans une colcrel . . . {Faisant 
la moue.) 

Mons. Moi en colere! Jamais! C'est toi qui I'es. 

Mme. Comment ? moi ! qui commenyais de t'ex- 
pliquer I'affaire si doucement, et tu ne voulais 
pas . . . 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 37 

Mons. Moi ! je ne voulais pas! {trepignant^ Que 
voulez-vous dire, Madame la Marquise de la Fayette? 
Allons, madame, expliquez-vous, s'il vous jjlait. 

Mme. Jc ne veux pas. 

Mons. Ah ! je t'en prie (calincmt). 

Mme. Eh bien! voila, ce que c'est. Certains vilains 
gens, un nomme Samuel Howard \_French accent] 
(pouah ! le monstre ! ) et un autre qui s'appelait 
Paul Revere \^French accent], (ah ! le tigre !) 
sont descendus aux soixante navires, habilles tous 
en Injuns S^FrencJi accent], et ont jete pardessus bord 
neuf millions de boites de the, et toicte la porcelaine ! 
de sorte que tout le monde en Chine va mourir de 
faim ! Et Madame Robespierre et moi, qui n'aurons 
plus une seule tasse de the, pour boire en nous 
entretenant de la belle nouvelle guillotine ! Et toi, 
qui dis que je suis foUe ! 

Mons. Mou amie, sache que ces memes Samuel 
Howard [^accent] et Paul Revere \^acce7it] sont 
des anges! des patriotes, splendides, magnifiques! 
Plut au ciel que je connusse leurs enfans, leurs petits 
enfonts, leurs ai-riere-petits enfants ! Hourra ! [7m 
English, loith French accent] I'll take my cap and 
go over immediately to Madame Lippitt's and 
Madame Bo wen's, and hear de news! 

3Ime. \_In English, loith the same acce?it] Oh, take 
me wiz you ! Introduce me to de Howard tribe. I 
must see Mr. Washington, who did not cut down de 



38 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

tree, and Pocaliontas too! Oli. will yoti':' Will 

you? 

Mona. Yes ! Come, my dear, across de sea ! 
To de Howards go will we ; 
And, for de sake of scA-enty-tree, 
We'll not refuse a cup of tea! 



PRIVATE CSNTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 39 



[Translation.] 

BURLESQUE DIALOGUE 

Betioeen Howard Moulton and ISTixa Moulton, 
dressed as the 3Iarquis and Marchioness de la 
Fayette. 

Madame. Ah! Marquis, have you heard the news 
about that new country called America? It is too 
bad ! it is a shame ! {stamping her foot.) 

Monsieur. Wait, my dear, I beg you to be quiet. 
What do you know about strange countries or poli- 
tics ? Be a good little girl, and busy yourself with 
housekeeping and sewing. 

Mme. Ah ! this is just what I want to talk about, 
and you get so vexed! {inaking a face.) 

Mons. I vexed ? never ! It is you who ai-e. 

Mme. Who? I! who began to tell you about the 
affair so gently, and you wouldn't — 

Mons. Z wouldn't? {stamping.) What do you 
say, Mrs. Fayette ? Come, ma'am, explain yourself, 
if you please. 

Mme. I won't. 

Mons. Ah, I beg you ! {^urging.) 

Mme. Well, this is it. Some horrid people, one 
named Samuel Howard, — oh, the monster! — and 



40 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

the other Paul Revere, — oh, the tiger! — went down 
to 60 sliips, dressed hke Injuns, and threw into the 
sea 9,000,000 boxes of tea and all the crockery ! so 
that everybody in China is going to die of hunger ! 
Mrs. Robespierre and myself won't have a single cup 
of tea to drink when we are talking about the nice 
new guillotine ! And you go and say that I am put 
out! (tceejnng.) 

Mons. My dear, you must know that these same 
men — Howard and Revere — are angels, patriots, 
splendid, magnificent! I only hope I shall know 
their children, their grand-children, and their great- 
grand-children. I think I'll take my cap and go 
right off to Mrs. Lippitt's and Mrs. Bowen's, and 
hear the news. 

Mine. Oh, take mo with you ! Introduce me to the 
Howard tribe. I must see Mr. Washington, who 
didn't cut down the tree, and Pocahontas too. Oh, 
will you! Will you? 

Mons. Yes ! Come, my dear, across the sea ! 

To the Howards go will we ; 

And, for the sake of seventy-three. 

We'll not refuse a cup of tea. 

\Exeunt^ 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 41 



GRANDFATHER HOWARD'S GREETING. 

COMPOSED BY MRS. MARIANNE C. D. SILSBEE. 

1773 UxNTO 1873. 

From happy spirit-land I come, attracted by the mirth, 

The " sound of revelry by night " on dear old Mother 
Earth ; 

And to this sacred little town,^ amid its elms em- 
bowered, 

I bring a soul-full greeting, for my name is Samuel 
Howard. 

But who are these at whom I look, — who cannot 

look on me ? 
I scai'ce can count the happy crowd that gathered 

here I see. 
Are they all mine ? Not all ; but yet kind nature 

sure intends 
That in counting of the family we muster in the 

friends. 

So, friends and children, one and all, you're welcome 

to the day, — 
To memories fast welling up of times so far away, — 
And, if our young America will listen now to me, 
I will tell the ancient story of the spilling of the tea. 

1 Cambridge, Mass. 
6 



42 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

A century, tradition claims, the daring deed was done, 
To wliich you owe your freedom suits wliich tlien and 

there were won ; 
The nation's wrongs were manifest, and needed a 

redressing, 
So good habits (somewhat threadbare now) we left 

you with our blessing. 

Excuse the pun, — it is not mine, — a Yankee spirit 

made it, 
And couldn't stop, but hurried by, and never told 

Avho said it. 
K. B. Tiie pay in t'other world for hurrying in this 
Is ne'er to know that precious rest decreed to souls 

in bliss. 

Well ! to go back unto the day when dark the storm- 
clouds lowered, 

A most determined man was he, known as your 
grandsire Howard, — 

My soul, possessed in meekness now, will not allow 
of boasts. 

But men were men in olden times, and served the 
Lord of Hosts. 

No earthly monarch earned from us the homage of 

the knee, 
But they who scorned the tyi-ant suited freemen "to 

aT." 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 43 

We steeped it in a " maskin pot " of Massachusetts 

Avaters, 
The only tea-party in vogue with Hail Columbia's 

daughters. 

But, hark ! methinks I hear a sound amid the accent 

merry, — 
Is it the voice, the honored voice, of Patriot Elbridge 

Gerry?! 
Those echoes of an honest heart, are they from 

Colonel Pickering, ^ 
True prescience of wise action to still a nation's 

bickering ? 

"VVe pledged our honor and our lives, our fortunes 

(those Avho had 'em) ; 
But in those days, like Eve, wives span, the husbands 

delved like Adam. 
Blessings on all Avho nobly lived, on all who bravely 

died, 
Those heroes of the darkling days the souls of men 

which tried ! 

Strange memories now are sweeping by, — I seize 

them as they pass, — 
And gaze as one may gaze in aAve within a magic 

glass. 

1 Amory Austin and Ed. D. Townsend, great-grandsons of Gerry, 
were present. 

2 Ancestor of Mrs. Silsbee and Pickering Dodge, also present. 



44 PRR'ATE CENTE^^NI^VL CELEBRATION. 

My inmost soul is stirred, and seems as fanned by 

angel wings, — 
I lose myself in happy dreams of transitory things. 

Dear chikl,^ the daughter of my heart, I stretch 

forth shadowy hand 
In blessing o'er that cherished head, — but who may 

understand 
The iras and /.s- / I look around, and, all amazed, I 

see 
Mysterious interchange of age hover 'twixt you 

and nie. 

I see an aged matron stand, — all full of years and 

honor, — M 

Her children scattered o'er the land with reverence ■ 

look upon lier, — 
And children's children all aruun<l in sweet pereua- 

sion vie 
To keep her, prisoner of Hope, long from her native 

sky. 

Sweet Poesie has shed her grace on one who passed 
away * 

Before the sunsliine of her life had reached the mid- 
dle day; 

Her morning glory faded here to bloom more bright 
above. 

And the Good Shejiherd lured her on to heavenly 
heights of love. 

^ Mrs. GilmaD. ^ Maria Lowell. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 45 

Long may the guardians of the gate the massive 

portals^bolt on 
The lady on whom praise doth wait, the lovely Mrs. 

Moulton : 
The Avorld has need of such a voice, — she has a 

mission higher 
E'en than awaits her when she goes to swell the 

anael choir. 



Dear children there, — dear children here, — it seems 

but little space 
Between you and your angels who behold Him face 

to face. 
Oh ! keep your hearts as pure as when they first by 

God were given, — 
So shall you find a Heaven on earth, the best of earth 

in Heaven ! 



Perchance you spy in grandfather some lack of rev- 
erence, 

And deem that he too lightly speaks, but this is my 
defence : 

Our faces are no longer now than Avhen in fleshly 
guise, — 

We have our smiling now as then, — there half the 
pleasure lies. 



4G PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

And thus, with mingled feehngs, I in fun and fondness 
come, — 

To nestle in the happy hearts within this happy 
home. 

God bless you all, — He blessed you most in seven- 
teen seventy-three, 

When we filled your brimming wassail bowls in 
spilling of the tea. 

Decejiber 10, 1873. 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 47 



TRIBUTE BY REV. SAMUEL LONGFELLOW. 

1773—1873. 
" Boston harbor is black with unexpected tea." — Caelyle. 

Lo, Boston harbor black with tea ! 
Our fiithers cried, — No more Bohea ! 
The tea loe want is Liber-ty ! 

Their children's guests, this evening, we 
Are cheered with hospitali-ty. 

The honored matron's cup we see 
Filled with sweet grace and digni-ty. 

While boys and maidens, shy or free, 
Pour out full bowls of jolli-ty. 

And children's overflowing glee 
Is tempered with docili-ty. 

So youth and age to-night agree. 
Refusing no hilari-ty. 

And so, whate'er our lot shall be, 
Whate'er our changeful destiny. 
May we ne'er want the best of tea : — 



48 PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Fideli-ty, sinceri-ty, 
Humili-ty, humani-ty, 

And ami-ty ami oqui-ty, 

And, best of all, sweet chari-ty! 

But taste no drop of vani-ty, 
Dui)liei-ty, or enmi-ty ! 

While, patient in adversi-ty. 
And liiunble in pro.speri-ty, 

Our fragile cup of life may be 
Fragrant with simple pie-ty; 

Until from earthly springs we flee 
To drink thy founts, Eterni-ty ! 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 49 



[The following note and stnnzas, written by the same hand and with 
the same delicate and graceful appreciation as marked the descriptive 
letter and "Grandfather Howard's Greeting," will serve as the 
last solemn, sweet, and lingering strain of our Howard Centennial 
Festival.] 

What " might have been,^'' should have heeii^ but 
was not. 

Why did not somebody write a few lines to the 
tune of " Fair Harvard," to be snng by sweet Lillian 
to her grandmother on tlie anniversary evening ? 
Shall these verses be accepted as atonement for the 
omission, and be permitted to close the record of 
the genial tea-i^arty of the descendants of Samuel 
Howard ? The " cup of kindness " filled for Auld 
Lang Syne has served as a cordial to rouse the 
youthful energies, to cheer the drooping spirits, and 
to support the failing footsteps; and so may God 
keep the whole company, and may the men, women, 
and children of 1973 be as blessed and as grateful 
for their blessings as the happy guests of this 
century. 



50 PiaVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 



THE SONG OF THE OLD FOLKS. 

We come witli tlic nieniories of long-vanished years 

All clustevetl around us to-night; 
Their joys and their sorrows, tlu'ir smiles and their 
tears, 

liy a century's sunset made bright. 
And those years are as dear as when onward they 
rolled 

Through the beautiful morning of youth ; 
And their time-hallowed record will never grow old, 

As read by the clear light of truth. 

Our hair may be silvered, our eyes may be dim. 

And our brows furrowed deeply with eare ; 
But the heart that is "singing perjtetual hymn" 

Must ever be youthful and f lir. 
We are living again all the glorious time, 

We are hearing the tales which were told. 
When we f(»und the steep hillside so easy to climb, 

And it was but a dream to be old. 

The dream is now over, tlie wakening has come, 

0»u- morn on swift pinions Hew j»ast ; 
The noon-tide has faded, we walk towaid home 

In the westering sunshine at last. 
And, with Faith for the guitle, we now seek to exj)lore 

That home which His promise has given: 
No sun and no moon, — we shall need them no more 

In the perfect effulgence of Heaven. 



I 



PRIVATE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 51 

And, in liush of the evening, Ave listen to hear 

A voice, still re-echoed on earth, 
Which sang of " Fair Harvard's " centennial year,^ 

The seat of our Learning's young birth ; 
And the voice of another dear servant of God, 

Whose smile tinged earth's burdens with light, 
Who, early upborne from the circle here trod, 

W^ill make even Pleaven more bright.- 

These voices repeat, from the fa** world above, — 

" We watch through Eternity's day. 
To welcome you home to the fulness of love, 

And the joy that endureth alway." 

^ Samuel Gilman, D.D. - Rev. Charles J. Bowen. 



Cambridge : Press of John Wilson & Son. 



